Media Releases

Singapore hosts the Second Singapore-China Legal and Judicial Roundtable

MEDIA RELEASE

Singapore hosts the Second

Singapore-China Legal and Judicial Roundtable

31 August 2018
– Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and the President and Chief Justice of the
Supreme People’s Court (“SPC”) of the People’s Republic of
China, His Excellency Zhou Qiang, co-chaired the Second Singapore-China
Legal and Judicial Roundtable (2nd Singapore-China Roundtable)
in Singapore today.

2. Chief Justice Zhou Qiang and an eight-member delegation from SPC are in
Singapore on the invitation of Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.

2nd Singapore-China Legal and Judicial Roundtable
Progressed the Cooperation between the Singapore and Chinese
Judiciaries to a Higher Level

3. The Singapore-China Roundtable is a key platform for legal and judicial
cooperation between both countries, and is the first such platform between
China and an Asian country. Legal and judicial cooperation has also become
one of the main areas of cooperation between Singapore and China under the
Belt and Road Initiative.

4. The 2nd Singapore-China Roundtable builds on the successful
inaugural Roundtable held in Beijing last year. Chief Justice Sundaresh
Menon, in his welcome remarks at the 2nd Roundtable, said,

“At the inaugural Singapore-China Roundtable last year, I spoke about how
the establishment of this dialogue was an important milestone in the
growing relationship between our two courts, and it is my hope that we will
build on the good work we did last year, and take the friendship between
our two courts to the next level.”

5. Judges from the Supreme Court of Singapore and the SPC exchanged
insights and perspectives on four topics at the 2nd
Singapore-China Roundtable:

(a) the Courts and Alternative Dispute Resolution, with a
focus on the suite of dispute resolution options (litigation, arbitration,
and mediation) available to litigants today, and how they interact within
the overall dispute resolution framework;

(b)
Development of a Legal Infrastructure to Support the Belt and Road
Initiative
, including the establishment of a working group consisting of officials
from the Supreme Court of Singapore and the SPC to bring some of the
specific ideas discussed at the 2nd Singapore-China Roundtable
forward;

(c) Court Technology,with the focus on
how the courts could harness the prowess of technology to improve court
efficiency and to enhance access to justice; and

(d) Development of International Commercial Law, with an emphasis on promoting the convergence of
commercial law in an increasingly globalised and interconnected world.

6. In tandem with the 2nd Singapore-China Roundtable, Chief
Justice Sundaresh Menon held a bilateral meeting with Chief Justice Zhou
Qiang and hosted him to dinner. At the bilateral meeting, Chief Justice
Sundaresh Menon and Chief Justice Zhou Qiang reaffirmed the close, deep and
abiding friendship between Singapore and China, as well as between the
Supreme Court of Singapore and SPC. Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Chief
Justice Zhou Qiang had a fruitful discussion on a range of topics which
concern both courts, and the ways in which the Supreme Court of Singapore
and SPC can cooperate in various areas of common interest to the mutual
benefit of the two courts and the two countries.

Singapore and Chinese Judiciaries Signed a Memorandum of Guidance
on the Recognition and Enforcement of Money Judgments in Commercial
Cases

7. As a testament to the already substantial, but rapidly deepening
cooperation between the two courts, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Chief
Justice Zhou Qiang signed a Memorandum of Guidance (“MOG”)
on the recognition and enforcement of money judgments in commercial cases.
The MOG would help to facilitate and promote mutual understanding of the
laws and judicial processes between the Supreme Court of Singapore and SPC,
with a view towards smoothening the process and providing guidance for
litigants on the applicable laws and regulations that govern the
enforcement of foreign judgments in Singapore and China. This will enhance
business confidence by providing greater legal support for companies in
both our countries, and enhance our cooperation under the Belt and Road
Initiative.